


Lightning Rod

by MischiefFrost



Series: Monsters we fight [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-11-30 07:56:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11459331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischiefFrost/pseuds/MischiefFrost
Summary: Barry escapes the speedforce and finds his lightning rod.Part 2 of Fever Dreams





	Lightning Rod

To say that the whole situation wasn't ideal was an understatement of epic proportions.

One moment, Barry Allen was standing in his childhood home, with his mom and dad standing behind him. His friends, Caitlin, Cisco, Iris, Wally and all the others were smiling at him.

Of course, this was a speedforce version of his life.

A bittersweet, perfect life.

There was no happy Caitlin Snow who mastered her powers perfectly without going full Killer Frost.

There was no smiling Cisco Ramon, who didn't lose his brother and had to take over as team leader in S.T.A.R. labs.

There was no Iris, who had not suffered the loss of her mother, who had not lost Eddie along the way.

There was no Wally, who had been trapped in his own personal hell in the speedforce.

Barry Allen knew that this wasn't real, but he couldn't deny the peace he felt within.

But something was off, and considering he was in the speedforce, that meant something.

Every now and again, the lights flickered and electricity was running through the sky like fireworks.

Other imagines appeared before his eyes, memories of Savitar, of Killer Frost, of a dying Iris, of a dead H.R., of a Cisco without his hands, of a paralyzed Wally, of a grieving Joe.

But other imagines appeared before his mind, and before he knew it, he was standing in the med bay of S.T.A.R. labs.

He looked around, but it appeared as if no one could see him.

Well, no one expect a blond doctor, who was now on one of the beds while his friends were running around, looking for something.

He came closer and looked at her.

She was pale, paler than usual, but red discolorations were right underneath her yes. She looked like she had the flu, sweat was running down her face and her eyes seemed unfocused.

"Caitlin?" Barry asked unsure and stepped forward, but she still didn't seemed to hear him.

A beeping noise invaded his consciousness and he saw Iris looking up at the heart monitor. The beeping noise signaled a unregular heartbeat and Barry gulped.

He looked back at Caitlin.

"Caitlin. You have to stay with me." and with that Caitlin Snow looked up, her eyes changing back from brown to an icy blue and back.

There was a shift however and Barry saw it, like she was the only one who could see him.

"Barry...?" she sighed silently and Barry looked back shocked.

He wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew he had to be here for his friend. The friend he abandoned when she needed him the most.

"Cait, stay with me. Stay with them. You're too much of a superhero to give up now." he smiled sadly at her, a tear coming down his right eye.

She looked worse by the second, and he couldn't help her.

He was stuck in between the here and now and the speedforce.

"I'm... not a hero..."

Barry couldn't hear the others talking over his own heartbeat.

Yes, she wasn't a hero. She was so much more. She was the one who kept him grounded. The one who was always there listening to his silly stories. The one who thought her own life was less important than his.

He breathed out, and he felt electricity coming out his body.

"I know you think you're not much of a hero. But you're my hero. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." and he moved closer and closer.

"Cait, they need you. And I need you. Stay with me."

She couldn't leave him.

His heart beat hard and fast against his chests and he felt a longing he could not explain.

"Stay. I need you." he pleaded.

But he saw the light leaving her eyes for a second and then it was still and he was thrown back into the speedforce.

* * *

 

Barry opened his eyes and looked into the face of speedforce Joe who looked a bit disappointed.

“Bar, we told you, you can’t leave this place.”

Barry looked around and saw his friends, well, the version of his speedforce friends.

They looked at him with pity.

Barry stood up and sighed.

“I have to go back.” He simply said and speedforce Joe shook his head.

“And we told you, you can’t. This is your home now.”

Speedforce Caitlin came closer and took his hand.

“We know what you saw and we know how you feel. But there is nothing you can do about it.”

Speedforce Caitlin smiled sadly at him and cupped his face.

Barry closed his eyes, memories flooding his mind.

_“We’re quite the pair, Mr. Allen.”_

_“I’m broken, Barry.”_

_“I’m glad that you did this to me.”_

_“I’m not always dressing up as a high school principle.”_

_“…quite the pair…”_

And with that, electricity flooded his whole body and the speedforce version of Caitlin and Joe steeped back in shook.

Warily the looked at him, not sure what to do next.

“He found his lightning rod…” speedforce Joe said shocked.

Barry looked up. Lightning rod?

“He can’t leave…” and speedforce Caitlin’s hair turned white, her eyes became an icy blue.

Joe, Eddie and Iris had guns pointed at him, Cisco turned into Reverb and moved his hands in the air.

And Barry did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

* * *

 

To say that he was surprised that his plan worked was an understatement.

One minute he was running through the speedforce, hunted by versions of his friends, and the next moment, the moment he thought of Caitlin, he was back in the cortex.

“Caitlin! Caitlin wait!” Cisco’s voice entered the silence and Barry looked up to the door.

There was, standing in a hospital gown and still rather pale, Caitlin Snow and looked like she was in shock.

Cisco was close behind her, almost walking into her when he saw his best friend.

And then Caitlin paled again, hey eyes turning from brown to a feverish blue and he saw her collapse in slow motion.

But before she could hit the ground, Barry catched her and hold her bridal style in his arms.

“Barry?” Cisco asked, afraid.

Barry grinned at him.

“The one and only…” and Cisco grinned back at him but then frowned.

“We have to get her back to the med bay…” Cisco gestured to Caitlin’s still form.

Barry could hear her ragged breathing and looked down at her beautiful face.

_Wait, did he just thought beautiful?_

Cisco nudged him in the side.

Barry shock his head and walked towards the med bay.

His thoughts were invaded by a beautiful doctor who was now still in his arms, and his heart beat fast against his chest in fear, that something might happen to her.

Barry Allen wasn’t sure what was happening. And he did not know what it meant to have a lightning rod. He wasn’t even aware that the ice princess was the reason he was out of the speedforce.

But he knew how important it was to be here.

With _Caitlin Snow_.

 


End file.
